Device comprising an electric discharge tube and a siphon arrangement within said tube



July 25, 1950 N. WARMOLTZ 2,516,736

DEVICE COMPRISING AN ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBE AND A SIPHON ARRANGEMENT WITHIN SAID TUBE Flled March 1, 1948 NICOLAAS WARMOLTZ.

INVENTOR.

Patented July 25, 1959 2,516,73 nnvron .CQMBRlSING AN ELEQTBIC ms.-

GHARGE TUBE AN A 'JsIeH N ARRANGE- MENT WH IN 4 1113 3 Nicolaas Warmolt'z, Eindhoven, Netherlands, as-

signor to Hartford National ;Bank and Trust Comha y, Hartford, 9am trustee A pl ion Match 1, 1948, s= ia e-- 2 456 In the Netherlands March-2 1947 fi-Qlaims- .97275) strip which is arranged to surround the discharge tube at the height of the cathode level. Ignition electrodes of this kind have already been suggested by Cooper Hewitt.

It has been found that the life of .tubes com. prising ca-pacitative ignition electrodes is fre: quently greatly shortened by corrosion .of the in.- sul'ating wall of the igniter .over a narrow zone of approximately 1 mm. at the height .of the cathode level. Probably due to the combined .effect of the ignition spark and the cathode spot of the discharge, the insulator is corroded for a certain depth, resulting in break-downof the in- 'sulator in the .form of a crack or a fine hole, so that the ignition electrode can no longer. be :made to operate. A cracker a hole seldom occurs before corrosion has reached a certain depth.

It is known that with tubes comprising .twoor more liquid electrodes the anode(s), due to increased evolution of heat, generally volatilize(s) to a greater extent than the cathode. The electrode material condensing onthe wall or on some .eoolinscmemberis enerai y ol ect d in the a ode, from which it is conducted :back to' thejanode along a long path or other path preventing formationpf a continuous jet of mercury or through asepara-te tank, the electrode material being conducted away from the cathodei-n a practically continuous mannenso that the cathode level is substantially constant. The cathode is generally arranged on a higher level than the anode.

According to the invention, in an arrangement comprising an electric discharge tube having at least two liquid electrodes, one of which is-provided with a capacitative ignition electrode a siphon is provided within the cathode so as to empty the cathode in part before electrode liquid flows out of the cathode by another path, so-that while the tube is in use the level of the cathode varies through a height which is preferably at least ten times the height for which the capacitative ignition electrode is corroded.

On the cathode being emptied to the given level, the siphon action ceases and the cathode is replenished with condensing liquid evaporating from the anode side. In order to prevent over- :2 flowing cathode material from forming a shortcircuit between the electrodes, a few plates are arranged below the siphon to'break up the liquid jet into drops .or thejet may otherwise be split; up intodrops. i

In order that the invention may bemore clear.- ly understood and readily carried into effect, it will now be described more full with reference to the accompanying drawing, which shows a tube in which the cathode is provided with .La phon.

Referring :toqthe. drawing, 1 designates the glass wall .of-a dischar e t be. .2 andzt the eathodeiand anod c nstituted by mercury. ea being provided w th 3151. 1. 9. 3 conductor sealed in the W The catho e 2- is pr vided w th a capaci ative i n ti n ele trode constituted :by a metal rod 1.4 whic iSzQQi ifilfld with a glass layer 5. 9n the an de side here is furth more an .auxi.lialo anod 'iG- That p tion ,of the lass tu e w i h to msa rarti io abetween he cathode 2 and the anode 3 has a support is arranged at the top W h se ves for mount ng an inverted .u..-tu .e L? with :i imbs .of nequal lengths. .The shorter iim l i -tends .downw.a into the cathode, th longer :limb is arranged .in the anode portion v,of the discharge tube, and it is so dimensioned that its eopening will 1 at .all times remain \WBH. above th liqHidJeYeI oft eanode.

Whenthe liquid :level .of thetcathode is caused t ibfillqme :fiush with the connecting part be: tween the two limbs :of .the -;U. -itube, the v[siphon starts tO operate and remains operative until the cathode level :has dropped below the .opening 40f the limb. Mercury 'is thereby .carried-over-tozthe anode,=where a number .ofibaflle plates .15 arcanirangedon the tube wall above the anode level, so as .to-.split into drops the jet .of mercury dischargedsbythe:siphonlimb.

.As .already mentioned, a cathode .of varying :level :is thus provided instead of the conventional :cathodes of constant level, soithat corrosion .near itherimof the cathode uis avoided and the 'lifeof the-tube considerabl increased.

.W-hat lclaim is: 1 1. #A :device --.'comprising an electric discharge tube havinga liquid cathode andratliqu-id anode, said anode having th surface thereof arranged at a level below the surface of said cathode, a capacitative ignition electrode arranged in cooperative relationship with said cathode, and an inverted U-shaped member within said tube, said member having a shorter tubular limb arranged in said cathode, a longer tubular limb outside of said cathode and a tubular connection between said limbs, said member having a cross-section to effect siphoning of the cathode liquid from the cathode, and to provide a varying level of the cathode liquid during operation of said discharge tube by'draining off part of the cathode liquid whenever the level thereof becomes flush with the connecting portion of the siphon between the two limbs.

2. A device comprising an electric discharge tube having a liquid cathode and a liquid anode, said anode having the surface thereof arranged at a level below the surface of said cathode, a capacitative ignition electrode arranged in said tube to cooperate with said liquid cathode and an inverted U-shaped member within said tube, said member having a shorter tubular limb extending into said cathode, a longer tubular limb arranged above the surface of the said liquid anode and a tubular connection between said limbs, said member having a cross-section to effect siphoning of the cathode liquid from the cathode and toprovide a varying level of thecathode liquid during operation of said dischargetube by draining off part of the cathode liquidwhenever the level thereof becomes flush with the connecting portion of the siphon between the two limbs.

3. A device comprising an electric discharge tube having a liquid cathode and at least one liquid anode said anode having the surface thereof arranged at a level below the surface of said cathode, a portion of the tube wall forming a connecting piece between said cathode and said anode, a capacitative ignition electrode arranged on the cathode side of said connecting piece to cooperate with said cathode electrode, and an inverted U-shaped member within said tube, said member having a shorter limb extending into the cathode, a longer limb above the anode, and a connection between the two limbs arranged on top of said connectin iecebetween said electrodes, said member having a cross-section to effect a siphoning action atintervals to convey liquid from the cathode to the anode side of said tube whenever the level of the liquid in the oathode reaches the height of said connection of the siphon, whereby a cathode of varying level is obtained. a I

4. A device comprising an electric discharge tube having a liquid cathode and a liquid anode, said anode having the surface thereof arranged at a level below the surface of said cathode, a capacitative ignition electrode arranged in said tube to cooperate with said liquid cathode, and an inverted U-shaped member within said tube, said member having a shorter tubular limb extending into said cathode,.a longer tubular limb arranged above the surface. of the said liquid anode, and a tubular connection between said limbs, said member having a cross-section to eifect siphoning of the cathode liquid from the cathode and to provide a varying level of the cathode liquid during operation of said discharge tube by draining off part of the cathode liquid whenever the level thereof becomes flush with the connecting portion of the siphon between the two limbs, the shorter limb of the siphon having at least ten times the length of a zone of corrosion till 4 caused by a constant-level cathode in a device of equal dimensions.

5. A device comprising an electric discharge tube having a liquid cathode and at least one liquid anode said anode having the surface thereof arranged at a level below the surface of said cathode, a portion of the tube wall forming a connecting piece between said cathode and said anode, a capacitative ignition electrode arranged on the cathode side of said connecting plate to cooperate with said cathode, and an inverted U- shaped member within said tube, said member having a shorter limb extending into the cathode, a longer limb above the anode, and a connection between the two limbs arranged on top of said connecting piece between said electrodes, said shorter limb of the siphon having at least ten times the length of a zone of corrosion caused by a constant-level cathode in a device of equal dimensions said member having a cross-section to efiect a siphoning action at intervals, toconvey liquid from the cathode to the anode side of said tube whenever the level of, the liquid in the cathode reaches the height of said connection of the siphon, whereb a cathode of varying level is obtained.

6. A device comprising an electric discharge tube having a liquid cathode and at least one liquid anode said anode having the surface thereof arranged at a level below the surface of said cathode, a portion of the tube wall forming a connecting piece between said cathode and said anode, a capacitative ignition electrode arranged on the cathode side of said connecting piece to cooperate with saidcathode, and an inverted U- shaped member within said tube, said member- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in th file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,101,523 Conrad June 30, 1914 1,101,665 Sakai June 30, 1914 1,110,575 Von Recklinghausen Sept. 15, 1914 1,697,210 Szilard Jan. 1, 1929 1,739,443 Dunoyer et a1 Dec. 10, 1929 1,808,517 Berthold June 2, 1931 1,971,891 1 Zecher Aug. 28, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Austria Sept. 10, 1928 

